International Conference Innovation and Sustainable Development of Special Interest Tourism Products 05. 04. 2016. 06. 04. 2016. Hotel Panorama, Zagreb The conference is organized by The Association of Croatian Travel Agencies with financial support from CEI Central European Initiative, the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Croatia and the Zagreb Tourist Board
Zagreb, 15th February 2016. Ref: I1816006 Dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, It is our pleasure to invite you to the International Conference Innovation and Sustainable Development of Special Interest Tourism Products which will take place in Hotel Panorama in Zagreb, Croatia, on 5 th and 6 th April 2016. The aim of the Conference is to support innovation and sustainable development of special interest tourism through exchanging good practice examples and improving cooperation of tour operators and travel agencies in Central and South-East Europe. During the conference representatives of the tourist industry, eminent experts and speakers will discuss numerous current topics and changes affecting travel agencies, present new trends, ideas and good practice examples, exchange different experiences and views, as well as open a dialogue and foster cooperation in creating innovative models of development of sustainable special interest tourism products. To this purpose the speakers and participants of the conference will present good practice examples and establish dialogue and cooperation on development and marketing of special interest tourism products: adventure, creative, gourmet, cultural tourism and School trip travel. The conference is organized by the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies with financial support from CEI Central European Initiative, the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Croatia and the Zagreb Tourist Board. The conference will bring together travel agencies, tour operators, destination management companies, travel associations, leading international experts, hotels, travel guides and other tourism industry representatives, representatives of tourist boards, and public and educational institutions. Over 60 tour operators and travel agencies from Central and South-East Europe are expected to attend so this is a wonderful opportunity for making new business contacts. Please consider visiting us in Zagreb as your presence and participation would be a great contribution to the success of the event. We look forward to welcoming you in Zagreb. Mr. Boris Žgomba President UHPA
Conference Programme - Tuesday, 5th April 2016 The official language of the conference is English. No simultaneous translation will be provided. Recommended dress code: business casual for all working sessions and smart casual for social events unless otherwise noted 09:00-10:00 Registration 10:00-10:30 Opening Ceremony Plenary Session 1: Special Interest Tourism New Approach 10:30-11:00 "Special Interest Tourism Products in the German Outbound Travel Market - An overview of the variety and diversity of offers with focus on actual trends and opportunities for Croatia and South-East Europe. Speaker: Juergen Buechy, The Travel Consulting Group 11:00-11:15 Destination Management and Importance of Chain-linking Process Speaker: Mihaela Kadija, Head of the Tourist Board of the Zadar County 11:15-11:30 Development of DMC in Split and Dalmatia County Speaker: Joško Stella, Head of the Tourist Board of the Split-Dalmatia County 11:30-12:00 Coffee Break 12:00-12:30 Smart Cycling Südtirol Rad - Bici Alto Adige Speaker: Claudia Tscherne, Weitblick Beratung & Marketing 12:30-13:00 New Travel Package Directive Implication for Special Interest Tourism Development Speaker: Željko Trezner, VERN, member of ECTAA Destination, Incoming Tourism and Sustainability Committee 13:00-14:00 Lunch Plenary Session 2: Innovative, Participative, Accessible Adventure Travel - Workshop 14:00-14:30 Innovation in Guiding Speakers: Iva Silla, Iva Čaleta Pleša; Innoguide 2.0 project 14:30-15:00 Innovation for SIT the Why, the Who and the How Speaker: Kirsi Hyvaerinen, PRÁTTO Consulting d.o.o., ITB Advisory 15:00-15:30 Coffee Break 15:30-16:00 Participative Tourism in Bulgaria Mission (im)possible? Speaker: Phd. Radostina Yotova, Odysseia-In Ltd 16:00-16:30 Accessible Special Interest Tourism Speakers: Dominika Koritnik Trepel, Institute Rihtar s Homestead ATTA Guide Standards - overview of the background and how it has developed - core competencies Speaker: Myles Farnbank, Wilderness Scotland Ltd 10:30 16:30 B2B Corner Available for Individual Meetings Throughout the Day
Conference Programme - Wednesday, 6th April 2016 The official language of the conference is English. No simultaneous translation will be provided. Recommended dress code: business casual for all working sessions and smart casual for social events unless otherwise noted 09:00-09:30 Registration Plenary Session 3: Advanced & Effective Marketing Solutions Adventure Travel - 09:30-09:50 Challenges of Targeted (segmented) Online Marketing Practical Solutions Speaker: Miroslav Varga, Escape 09:50-10:10 Advanced Facebook Advertising for Agencies Speaker: Ilija Brajković, Akcija 10:10-10:30 Effective Promotion in 5 Words: Give Them What They Want 10:30-11:00 Coffee Break Speaker: Paul Bradbury, Total Croatia News Breakout sessions DMC and Culture Tourism Gourmet Travel School Trip Travel 11:00-11:20 How to Benefit from the 11:20-11:40 11:40-12:00 Traveller s Special Interests - Good Practices Bulgaria Speaker: PhD Daniela Stoeva, Tandem Travel Heritage Tourism: How is it Adapting to the New World? Speaker: Stephen Spencer, Stephen Spencer & Associates Heritage in Destination Product Development Speaker: PhD Romana Lekić Food and Wine Storytelling Speaker: PhD. Romana Lekić Culinary Journey Around Slovenia Speaker: Špela Vodovc, Cook Eat Slovenia MICE to meet you! Italy Food & Wine Speaker: Arianna La Rosa, Sensational Italy Innovative Guiding for Young Travelers Speakers: Iva Silla, Samia Zitouni, Innoguide, 2.0 project School Trip Travel Specifics of the German Market Speaker: Gesa Sellmann, Reisenetz Workshop ATTA Guide Standards The five core competencies - exploring the barriers, and opportunities for implementing the standard in adventure travel Speaker: Myles Farnbank, Wilderness Scotland Ltd 12:00-13:00 Lunch Gourmet Travel Excursion 13:00-16:00 DMC and Culture Tourism Dance Workshop with National Folk Dance Ensemble of Croatia *Casual, comfortable clothing and shoes Cooking workshop in the winery and restaurant outside of Zagreb Vuglec Breg *Casual, comfortable clothing and shoes From 12:00 h to 17:00 h Plenary Session 4: Innovation, Business, Ecology 13:00-13:30 Customer Experience: Innovations in the Travel and Tourism Experience and Why it Matters Speaker: Stephen Spencer, Stephen Spencer & Associates 13:30 14:00 Adventure Means Business Speaker: Gergana Nikolova, ATTA 14:00 14:30 Leave No Trace Principles Speaker: Kirsi Hyvaerinen, PRÁTTO 14:30 14:45 Closing Ceremony 09:30 15:00 B2B Corner Available for Individual Meetings Throughout the Day The organizer reserves the right to make changes to the event program
Post Conference FAM Trip to Šibenik Šibenik City Museum, Tourist Board of Šibenik and City of Šibenik are organizers of complimentary post conference FAM trip for delegates of ID SIT Conference. STUDY VISIT POWERED BY ŠIBENIK CITY MUSEUM, TOURIST BOARD OF ŠIBENIK AND CITY OF ŠIBENIK UNFOLD THE CITY OF FORTRESSES 7 th / 8 th of April 2016 Time Programme Day 1 7 th April 2016 From-To Subject 09.00 Zagreb, hotel Panorama - Departure 12.00-13.30 St. Michael s Fortress Welcome, brunch, coffee break, visit and introduction 13.30-14.30 Guided visit to Šibenik Old town, St. Lawrence medieval garden, St. Jacobs Cathedral 14.30-16.00 Boat ride through St. Anthony Channel till st. Nicholas Fortress, walkway in the St. Anthony Channel
16.00 16.30 Transfer to the Barone Fortress 16.30-17.00 Guided Augmented Reality tour, Barone Fortress 17.00-19.00 Mediterranean Dinner on the Barone viewpoint 19.00-21.00 Sunset Wine tasting 21.00 Old town apartments, accommodation Day 2 8 th April 2016 From-To Subject 09.00 10.00 Coffee&breakfast - City hall, in front of the Cathedral 10.00 Departure For more information about FAM trip program and how to register please CLICK HERE. Delegates willing to participate in post conference FAM trip UNFOLD THE CITY OF FORTRESSES from 7 th to 8 th April 2016 should register directly to organizers: CLICK HERE. The number of participants at post conference FAM trip is limited. After a maximum number of participants for FAM trip is reached, the participation at FAM trip will not be possible. Contact: Morana Periša, program coordinator, St. Michael's Fortress, Šibenik City Museum T +385 (0)22 213 880 M +385 (0)91 497 5546, events.tsm@muzej-sibenik.hr
Conference speakers: Juergen Buechy (The Travel Consulting Group) has 40 years of professional experience in the airline, travel and railway industry from which 20 years of experience in top management positions as CEO, Managing Director, Senior Vice President with Lufthansa German Airlines, Start Amadeus GmbH and German Railways. His special competence and experience are in the areas of strategic development, sales and distribution, marketing, key account management, product management and pricing, specifically in complex distribution structures with multiple distribution channels, business and leisure customers as well as national and international markets. Juergen has extensive experience in leading, repositioning and restructuring of large corporations, high competence in analysis of complex management problems and strategic challenges, development of solutions and implementation supervision as well as distinct ability of selecting, developing and leading high competence teams. Myles Farnbank (Wilderness Scotland) a highly experienced wilderness guide with over 30 years of sea kayaking, canoeing, sailing and mountaineering in many of the worlds wildest places. As well as being Head of Guides & Training for Wilderness Scotland, Myles is still an active guide, trainer, educator and consultant. A former lecturer on the BA (Hons) Adventure Tourism Management Myles still guest lectures on an MSc Ecotourism and BA (Hons) Marine & Coastal Tourism at The School of Adventure Studies, University of the Highlands & Islands. Committed to the principles of ecotourism contributing positively to communities and wildlife, Myles has a fascination for the traditional uses of plants and other natural resources and runs training on wild food and the folklore of the natural world. His main area of current work is in adventure guide training both in the UK and overseas. This includes creating the UK s first Adventure Guide training programme, which is run through Wild Scotland. He sits on the governance board for the new ATTA Adventure Travel Guide Qualifications & Performance standards and the steering group for Failte Ireland s suite of tour guide training courses. He is also from 2016, one of the judging panel for the Wanderlust World Guide Awards. Stephen Spencer (Stephen Spencer & Associates) has worked for or with many of the UK s most prestigious Retail, Tourism and Hospitality brands, including the Royal Collection, Historic Royal Palaces, the National Trust for Scotland, Hamleys, The O2 and the Science Museum Group, delighting over 30 million visitors along the way. In addition to his formal and consulting roles Stephen co-founded two major public/private sector tourism initiatives in Scotland: The Tourism Innovation Group (the tourism industry leadership group; focused on promotion of best practice via benchmarking and collaboration); Pride & Passion for Scotland (a nationwide movement designed to raise Scotland s game as a welcoming destination via a series of community-based initiatives, support and tools). In addition, Stephen led the development and management of a new suite of national tourism training courses for the Scottish Government. Having distilled the experience of 25 years and 30 million customers into his POSITIVE Customer Experience programme, Stephen works with organisations to create POSITIVE Experiences for teams and customers, leading to POSITIVE business results.
Gergana Nikolova (ATTA Development Lead Europe / Adventure) Three things best describe Gergana: passionate about sustainable tourism, eager for new challenges and with a truly Balkan heart. She holds a Masters degree in Tourism from The George Washington University School of Business, Washington DC. In 2008 Gergana s heart took her back to Bulgaria and the Balkans. Gergana has work experience with a variety of sustainable tourism projects across countries with different socio-economic profiles. Throughout her career she developed strong strategic planning and management experience that considers the multidimensional nature of tourism as well as the complexity of the stakeholder networks it involves. She worked as an independent tourism consultant for different projects, including a series of European Union- and USAID-funded projects. Since 2013, Gergana has collaborated on numerous activities with the Adventure Travel Trade Association and in 2014 became part of their team. She is now leading ATTA s projects and initiatives in Eastern Europe and is supporting the ATTA Executive Director - Europe with other activities throughout Europe. Gergana is a nature lover, active skier and adrenaline seeker. She enjoys being close to her family and friends while working in tourism on global level. Kirsi Hyvaerinen (PRÁTTO Consulting) has been leading and consulting on change processes in travel and tourism since the mid-90s. She focuses on sustainable development in destinations, capacity building, organizational change, product diversification, branding and marketing. After working with Montenegro s National Tourism Organisation and its partners 2006-2013, she continues as Managing Director of PRÁTTO Consulting, a European based international consultancy, and as one of the founding Partners of ITB Advisory. She is member of the Adventure Travel Trade Association and The International Ecotourism Society. Multi-level national and international co-operation, consulting to governments, tourism businesses and NGOs, facilitation of association development, and support for EU / cross border projects have kept her busy. In the past two years, she has worked in Albania, Armenia, the Dominican Republic, Montenegro, Serbia and the Sichuan Province of China. Under her project management, the VDR Business Travel Report Germany continues to deliver representative facts and trends on occupational mobility. Of Finnish origin, Kirsi loves the great outdoors and voluntarily works also as Leave No Trace awareness raiser and trainer. She holds a degree in Business Administration (Tourism Management and Marketing) from Heilbronn University, Germany. Mihaela Kadija (Head of the Tourist Board of the Zadar County) after graduation of Croatian and English language and literature, has received Master of Science degree in Business Marketing at the Faculty of Economics (Topic: The Strategy of Development of Film Tourism ). During ten years of work experience in the Croatian National Tourist Board she was involved in various projects and activities related to promotion, organization of events and public relations. Since 2009 she was engaged in products development projects within the Office for Cultural Tourism initiative and then as the Head of Products Development Department. The same was in charge for complex marketing processes such as strategic management of selective forms of tourism, launching of projects directed towards products improvement, cooperation with regional tourist boards in setting their goals and strategies, development of DMCs, branding and strengthening image of Croatian tourism etc. In 2014 Mihaela became the Director of the Tourist Board of the Zadar County where she has initiated and developed a number of key strategic projects with the objective of destination management such as the development of regional DMCs, labelling programs and resource based products development. For Mihaela a long-term and sustainable development of tourism is possible only with involvement, respect and crosslink of all stakeholders at the destination.
Joško Stella, (Director of the Tourist Board of Split-Dalmatia County) has initiated and successfully implemented numerous projects such as the Master plan for Tourism Development, the Strategy Development of Cultural Tourism, Ethno - eco Villages, Development of Thematic Trails, Revitalization and Promotion of the Fort on the Cetina River, Development of Eco-ethno Village, Development of Cycling Tourism, Development of Destination Management Companies and Creative Internet Advertising and marketing mix design. Claudia Tscherne is a single entrepreneur in the sector of tourism for more than 10 years. Her company, Agentur Weitblick, is located in Krumpendorf am Wörthersee, Carinthia, Austria, internationally active with a team of 3 employees. Claudia Tscherne is specialized on marketing and consulting, combined with quality management and sales activities. A large focus lies on international bike tourism. Since 2006, she is working on the strategic development of the drau cycle path, including product-development, - presentation and marketing. She could also gather various experiences in the management of EU projects (LEADER, Interreg A and B) for example within the just finished project Cycling route München-Venezia. In addition to that, Weitblick offers graphic design, public relations and project management. Željko Trezner (VERN' University of Applied Sciences, Zagreb) is active in different projects, expert councils and groups in the field of tour operator and travel agency management and sustainable tourism in general. He is the Advisor of Management board of the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies and teaches at VERN' University of Applied Sciences. As a scholar with a strong background in business, he has successfully merged theoretical knowledge with practical solutions that he has published in numerous manuals and professional papers and presented in more than a hundred workshops, seminars and conferences in Croatia and abroad. Daniela Stoeva is co-owner and General Manager of Tandem Travel, an inbound tour operator and DMC which is based in Sofia, Bulgaria. She has more than 20 years experience in the travel industry. Daniela has PhD degree in cultural tourism management ( Transnational cultural tourism routes in the Eastern Balkans ). She has actively participated in Development of European Tourism Quality Label project as the Member of Working Group, as partner in researches in the area of cultural tourism (Research program ACRE, 6. Framework, Program of the EU Commission), and as consultant (Development of local products, TIO Veliko Trnovo). She is a member of the Board of Directors of Association Authentic Bulgaria and the Chair of Ethic Commission of ABTTA.
Professor Dr. Romana Lekic is the Chair of the Tourism Department at Vern University in Zagreb, Croatia. She has received her PhD in Cultural Anthropology: Croatian traditional heritage and cultural tourism, The Possibility of Including Intangible Heritage through Representative Samples, as well as receiving professional training in drama, dance, and art. She has worked as a trainer and consultant in the field of tourism and culture. She is involved in numerous European projects in Cultural Tourism and Special Interest Tourism, as well as being an associate for the Croatian National Tourist Board, the Ministry of Tourism, the UHPA (the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies), as well as other institutions, organisations and developmental agencies located in Croatia and abroad. She teaches as a visiting professor at Universities in Slovenia and Montenegro, where she gives lectures and trainings on topics such as: personal development, creativity, creative leadership and nonviolent communication, transformational leadership, and group dynamics. Dominika Koritnik Trepel (Institute Rihtar s Homestead) has many years of experience as a outgoing and incoming tourist guide. She is a member of Slovenian Association of Tourist Guides and the Secretary of Slovenian Professional Guides Association, and as that, she provides an education for tourist guides about accessible tourism. Trepel also works on development of innovative and sustainable tourism products, promotion of cultural heritage, networking and cooperation with tourist guides from Europe and around the world. Ilija Brajkovic (Akcija) has been a member of the internet scene for years, while the last six years he has actively devoted himself to social networks. A geek at heart, life has led him to something he enjoys even more. Today he is a partner at the Akcija full-service agency for social networks where he supervises client and fan communication. He has been working as a community manager for the most famous Croatian startup ShoutEm where he had managed a community made up of users from all around the world. After that he worked for large clients such as Microsoft Croatia, the Zagreb Tourist Board, Suzuki and Renault. He lectures regularly at various conferences and seminars in the region and abroad, and is always among the top rated lecturers. Iva Čaleta Pleša (Marija Juric Zagorka Society, Zagreb Tourist Guide Association) a tourist guide for Zagreb and Zagreb County since 2004. Member of Educational Board of Zagreb Tourist Guide Association from 2007, organizing educational activities for Association members. Patner on Zagreb Inside theme city tours project 2009-2011. As a Head of Section for cultural tourism of Marija Juric Zagorka Society participates in Erasmus+ project Innoguide 2.0 and search for new ways of learning and education. Iva Silla (Marija Juric Zagorka Society, Zagreb Tourist Guide Association, Secret Zagreb) A tourist guide for Zagreb alternative tours, writer and editor of Secret Zagreb blog, creates special cultural and creative tourist products, knows where Zagreb dragon sleeps and interprets heritage of other Zagreb. In real life owner of small business Storyteller and project leader for Croatian partner on Erasmus+ project Innoguide 2.0. Croatian society of journalists in tourism and Croatian journalists' association awarded her for promoting Zagreb on her blog. Local editor for Like a local guide app and a writer for Van Zagreba magazine.
Miroslav Varga (Escape Ltd.) is one of a few Google AdWords Certified Trainers in the Google Adriatics region with experience in working on hundreds of AdWords campaigns. He is a Google Adwords Certified Professional and also has a GAIQ Certificate. He has two postgraduate degrees and works as a PPC control manager for the Escape company. Computers and the Internet fascinated him from the moment he was introduced to them. He tries to transfer this fascination to his listeners, yet not in a "geeky" way, but very dynamically, interestingly and with a moderate amount of humor. He is one of the best-rated lecturers and experts in the field of internet marketing, with thousands of references from satisfied participants and clients. Samia Zitouni (Marija Juric Zagorka Society, Zagreb Tourist Guide Association, Best of Zagreb) An experienced travel agent and tourist guide for Zagreb and Zagreb County, owner of small business Netragom Travel, writer and editor of webpage Best of Zagreb where she offers interesting tours and excursions. As a member of Cultural tourism section in Marija Juric Zagorka Society participates in Erasmus+ project Innoguide 2.0. Special interest for Intercultural Communication competences. Paul Bradbury (Owner/Editor of Total Croatia News) born in the rain in Manchester, settled for life on the sunniest island in Europe (and the most beautiful) - Hvar in Croatia, via Somalia, in 2003. Author and co-author for guidebooks for Hvar and Split, as well as 'Lebanese Nuns Don't Ski' and 'Lavender, Dormice and a Donkey Named Mercedes', Paul runs various tourism and news websites for Croatia (www.total-croatia-news.com), as well as being the official blogger for the Central Dalmatia Tourist Board. Winner of the 2014 FIJET Marco Polo award for best international promotion of Croatia. Špela Vodovc is co-founder, owner and General Manager of Cook Eat Slovenia, a unique tourist agency, based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. She has more than 10 years of experience in event management, organization and marketing. Špela is outdoor and cooking enthusiasts in love with Slovenian cuisine, wines and nature. She carries on the rich culinary traditions of her mother and grandmother. When she is not busy with guests she enjoy the thrills of hiking, sailing, running and skiing powder with her friends. Špela s ultimate goal is to create an environment in which travelers are able to enjoy tailored small group adventures, which highlight all that defines Slovenian nature, gastronomy and entertainment. The conference is organized by The Association of Croatian Travel Agencies with financial support from CEI Central European Initiative, the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Croatia and the Zagreb Tourist Board